TUMWATER, Wash. >> The historic brewhouse on the Deschutes River at Tumwater may have a future that’s a lot like its past — brewing beer.

A partnership of economic and education organizations, including the Port of Olympia and Washington State University Extension, announced plans Thursday to transform the property into an incubator for small craft brewers and distillers.

The Olympian reports if successful it would promote economic activity and preserve the brewhouse that was part of the Olympia Brewery, which closed in 2003 after nearly a century of making beer.